Mechanical billiard-player



C. ENGLEMAN.

MECHANICAL BILLIARD PLAYER. APPLICATION FILED AUG.t4, 191s.

Patented M31, 1919.

BY 0 N N ATTORNEY snares PATENT orrro'zrr GHRISTIAN JENGLEMAN, F VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON.

" MECHANICAL IBILLIARJJ-PLAYER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN ENGLEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vancouver, in the county of Clarke and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Mechanical Billiard-Player, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanical billiard players in which a mechanical figure operates a cue on a billiard table, at the same time nodding with .its head; and where, after every shot, the balls return to their. original position.

The objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a novel and attractive advertising means for billiard and pool halls, wearing apparel, show windows in general, amusement resorts, etc.

Second, to provide a. mechanism which is'simple to manufacture, can be operated very cheaply, yet will excite interest and wonder by its life like performance.

illustrated in )the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is an elevation of the entire device, the billiard table being shown in isometric perspective.

Fig. H, is a section of Fig. l along the line M.

Fig. HI is a portion of the figure showing the flexible arm in its stretched position. Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

An ordinary billiard table 1 with three or more billiard balls 2 on it, has one edge 3 slightly raised, be it by means of blocks 4 or in some other suitable manner. This would cause the balls to gravitate toward the lower edge if fine wires 5 were not stretched across the table to guide the balls and to retain them in certain pre-determined positions.

End 3 of the table is slightly raised while each ball'is confined within a certain area bounded partly by the cushions and partly by fine wlres so, no matter in What direction the impetus of the ball inclines, it is finally compelled to gravitate toward the lowest point in its respective area.

For the cue ball this point is determined by the intersection of two'crossing wires, and for the other balls by one wire which crosses the table diagonally from one long cushion to the other and 5y two or more wires which are tiedtev sa diagonal wire and proceed from thence at a suitable angle to one of the cushions; the tying in point being here the lowest point for that particular area. Fine wires are chosen for the reason that their low visibility will, to the distant observer, render the action of the balls more puzzling and therefore add to the interest in the apparatus.

At the lower end of the table stands a figure in the characteristic attitude of a billiard player holding a one 6 in its right hand and using the left hand, which rests on the table, as a guide for the cue.

lit is mainly intended to have the figure filled out and dressed up to resemble a human being of either sex as much as possible, but sometimes fiat pieces of board alone or even stifl card boards may answer the purpose.

In such cases all of the operating mechanism, which in the drawing is partly shown in front, may be attached to the rear of the figure. I attain these objects by the mechanism In all cases, however, the billiard cue 6 is pivoted at 7 within the right hand and the latter is attached to the lower arm by a hinge 8. Another hinge 9 at the elbow joint connects the lower to the upper arm, and the latter again is connected to the body by means or a hinge 10 at the shoulder. Approximately in the center of the chest is located a rotary wheel 11 with a somewhat undulating circumterence and the cam like projection-l2 (the arrow indicates the direction of rotation). A lever 13 with one end 14: adapted to slide over the circumference of the wheel 11, has the other end 15 secured to the upper arm near the shoulder. so that the weight of the upper arm and its appendages will lreep the end 14: of the lever 13 always in contact with the circumference of the wheel it and cause said upper arm to swing according to the undulations on the circumference. A. link l6 pivoted to the body at 17 and-to the lower arm at 18, and another link 19 pivoted to the upper arm at 20 and to the wrist at 21 will transfer a corresponding motion 1 into the last-named extremities, i. e. a rais 12 the cue strikes the play-bal with silficient' ferric to cause the latmr to amnesia with Patented July 1, 1919.

Application filed August 14, 1918. Serial No. 249,7G9.

lull

the other balls. After that the balls return to their original position and the mechanical player poises his one anew.

To make the similarity to a living player more striking, I have introduced a mechanism which will cause the figure to nod its head with every motion of the cue. This is accomplished by pivoting the neck to the body at 22 and by attaching a rod 23 to the throat, the other end 24 of the rod resting freely on the lever 13. By force of gravity the head must nod with every motion of the lever and when the shot is made the head will be raised as if the player were intent on watching the effect of his stroke.

In Fig. II the means of rotating the wheel 11 are depicted. A shaft 25 extending through the chest, and resting in a bearing 26, carries at one end the wheel 11 and at the other end a gear 27 which latter meshes either directly or through intermediate gears with a gear on the motor 28. A bracket 29' furnishes the support for the motor 28. In smaller machines belt and pulleys may be advantageously substituted for the gears; and, since it is very feasible to have all of the operating mechanism on one side, this method may be resorted to in a cheaper machine where the figure consists merely of painted boards.

Fig. III is drawnto illustrate the position which the arm and one assume. immediately before the shot. We notice how the joint at the arm pit has opened, while the two joints at the elbow and wrist respectively have closed, thus giving the arm a somewhat outstretched appearance.

Having fully described my invention it will be seen that my objects have been ac.- complished, and though I have shown the preferred formof my machine I reserve to myself the right to make minor changes in construction so long as I do not violate the spirit and principle of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a mechanical billiard player, the combination of an automatic figure standing before a billiard table, having a flexible arm, having a cue attached to said arm, having a head pivotally attached to the figure, and means to reciprocate the one and nod the head in unison, with a billiard table, a plurality of balls on the table, said balls being permitted to scatter freely within certain boundaries but always returning to a predetermined position, the balls being,

caramboled by the automatic figure while the head is simultaneously enacting a decided backward jerk.

2. In a mechanical billiard player, the combination of an automatic figure standing before a billiard table and reciprocating a cue on the table, with a billiard table having the end opposite the fi ure slightly raised, having a plurality of alls on the table, said balls being permitted to scatter freely within certain boundaries, having wires stretched across the table to confine each ball within a certain area, said wires also serving as guide to return each ball to a certain position to be caramboled by the one of the automatic figure.

3. A mechanical billiard player comprising a body portion, a movable head, a movable arm, a cue attached to the arm, and means for imparting a reciprocating motion to the cue and simultaneously anodding motion to the head.

4, A mechanical billiard player comprising a body portion having pivoted to it a jointed arm member, a rotary wheel with undulating circumference within the body portion, the arm member being operatively connected with the rotary wheel by means of a lever and links and receiving a stretching and contracting motion in conformity with the undulations on the rotary wheel.

5. A mechanical billiard player comprising a body portion having pivoted to it a head, a rotary wheel with undulating circumference within the body portion, the head being operatively connected with the rotary wheel by means of a lever and an extension rod from the head to the lever and receiving a nodding motion in conformity with the undulations on said rotary wheel.

- CHRISTIAN ENGLEMAN. 

